Projects should contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Validated and refined measures to increase the use of innovative digital technologies by Europe’s cultural and creative industries (CCIs)^[1], with a view to increased competitiveness and sustainability^[2].
• Significant contributions to strengthen the ability of European CCIs to contribute to a human-centred digital transition.

The cultural and creative industries (CCIs) are an important source of growth and job creation in the European economy. Moreover, the CCIs play a key role in shaping culture, values and perceptions across the European Union and beyond.

At the same time, the CCIs are characterised by a large and diverse number of chiefly small and micro enterprises, as well as by hefty differences across geographical and sectorial divides.

The ongoing digital transition brings great opportunities for the CCIs, but also serious threats. The measures taken during the Covid-19 pandemic to reduce contagion forced much human interaction into the digital realm, to a degree illustrating possible consequences of the digital transition. Large parts of the European CCIs were devastated^[3].

To take full advantage of the many opportunities offered by the digital transition, and avoid the pitfalls, require capacities and competencies that many of Europe’s CCIs currently lack.

Proposals should provide for devising effective and cost-efficient measures to support CCIs to embrace and make full use of digital technologies for competitiveness and sustainability.

Proposals should choose a suitable set of CCI sector(s), or/and cross-sectoral issues, to focus on, which allow significant impacts to be achieved. A wide array of digital technologies should be considered, which are deemed crucial to the CCI sector(s) or/and issues chosen. Analytical technologies such as “big data” or “artificial intelligence” could be used for instance to better understand users’ behaviours, to better plan activities or/and to engage deeper with customers. Visualisation and multi-sensorial technologies such as “virtual reality”, “augmented reality” or “extended reality” could be employed to create more attractive products and services.

The proposed support measures should be effective and efficient across different Member States/Associated Countries, and address the needs of small, micro as well as larger companies. Such measures may involve the use of platforms or networks to facilitate sharing investments, facilities or competencies among several companies or across sectors.

Funded proposals should set up at least four small scale pilot trials under real world conditions to test and refine the proposed support measures. To ensure validity of the results across different national contexts and company sizes, the pilot trials need to involve at least four different Member States/Associated Countries, as well as CCI companies of different size. A wide set of stakeholders should be involved, in accordance with the focus chosen, with a view to ensure that pilot trials are developed in an effective and realistic manner and that results can readily be taken up by relevant policymakers or/and other decision-makers.

Proposals should build on existing knowledge, activities, networks and platforms, notably the ones funded by the European Union. Furthermore, links should be established and synergies sought with closely related actions, such as relevant R&I actions funded by Horizon Europe or Horizon 2020. In particular, proposals should, if appropriate, seek collaboration with projects funded under the “European Cloud for Cultural Heritage” call in the frame of Horizon Europe Cluster 2.

[1] CCIs as defined in the European Parliament Resolution ‘A coherent EU policy for cultural and creative industries’: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52016IP0486&from=EN

[2] ’Sustainability’ should in the context of this topic be interpreted as comprising several dimensions: Economic, environmental, cultural and social.

[3] See for example the report ’Rebuilding Europe – The cultural and creative economy before and after the COVID-19 crisis’, published in January 2021 by GESAC and EY

Please note that this call has not been opened yet. For details, please consult the source page of this announcement via this link.